It's not surprising that if you were to sneak into the home of a chef on the other hand, there would be some serious sautéing going down, the aroma of non-instant freshly roasted coffee, lashings of cream, the sound of crackling bacon and the heavenly scent of brioche or sourdough lightly toasting in the background.

The difference being chefs enjoy the process -- whereas we cook to eat -- and fast. And if we happen to be rising from a rather booze-filled night, our creativity in the kitchen suffers even more.

So much so, many of us reach for takeaway or settle for some kind of spinach pastry triangle we've had in the freezer for a year (so long as there's tomato sauce to go with it).

To ignite those creative juices and perhaps inspire your inner cook, we asked Australian chefs what their go-to brekkie is the morning after a big night.

szefei

Malaysian Laksa

"A classic Malaysian Laksa with just the right amount of heat, spices and herbs to bring anyone back from the dead. The paste can be made well in advance and will keep in a sealed container in the fridge and most of the remaining ingredients are relatively common pantry fodder."

INGREDIENTS FOR PASTE

1 tablespoon shrimp paste

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoon turmeric

4 peeled French shallots or 1 medium red onion

1 thumb ginger, peeled

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon grated fresh galangal (pink ginger)

3-5 chilli, depending on how hot you like

4 candle nuts or macadamias

4 roots coriander, reserving the leaves to garnish

Blitz everything in your blender or for a more traditional approach, use a mortar and pestle, using some good quality sea salt as an abrasive to help break everything down. This paste is enough for 4-6 servings and will keep for around 2 weeks in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS FOR LAKSA (FOR TWO)

palm sugar

lime juice

fish sauce

500ml good fish or chicken stock (you can use water if desperate)

400ml coconut milk

lemongrass, bashed with the back of your knife or a meat mallet

dried vermicelli noodles, soaked in a bowl of freshly boiled water

protein -- sliced chicken breast/diced fish/prawns or pork -- entirely up to you

chopped Chinese greens -- I like wom bok (Chinese cabbage)

DIRECTIONS

1. When ready, warm a deep pot, some peanut oil and begin to cook 3 tablespoons of the paste, it will become fragrant and aromatic, add half a tablespoon of palm sugar and cook until it melts.

2. Add the juice of half a lime, combine, then add the stock and the bruised lemongrass.

3. Bring to the boil then add the meat (if using). When the meat is just cooked, add the coconut milk and then bring to a steady simmer, season with the fish sauce for saltiness, or more lime if it needs more sour.

4. In two large soup bowls, place the strained, soaked noodles, fine chopped greens, some fried tofu if you like and then pour over a generous amount of the laksa.

5. Garnish with the coriander sprigs, some sliced chilli, and if available some crispy shallots.

Scrambled eggs on brioche with grilled broccoli

"While I don't drink, a Saturday night at work is normally pretty intense and can be physically and mentally demanding. The following morning, I'll have my two kids waking me up early to make them breakfast -- so I start with freshly ground good quality coffee -- either espresso or Aero press.

To eat, the kids love soft scrambled eggs on lightly toasted brioche with grilled broccoli, and this always hits the spot for me too. I'll add a good pinch of chopped green chilli -- this, along with the coffee gets me going again."

DIRECTIONS

1. Local fresh free range eggs are the best, I whip these with a fork and add good quality cream, salt flakes and cracked black pepper.

2. In a heavy based sauce pan cook the egg mix gently with plenty of butter, moving and folding the eggs regularly to finish with creamy folds of just set delicious egg.

3. The broccoli I cook in a griddle pan with salt flakes and a little lemon oil, I like to serve it charred with a slight crunch.

shutterstock

Onion soup with toasted bread

"Without a doubt, my grandpa's recipe for onion soup with lots of toasted bread on the side. It's very easy to make but it takes a little time to cook, so I usually put it on and go back to bed for a little sleep. The end result is so comforting, it's like I'm getting a warm hug from my grandpa!"

INGREDIENTS

500g brown onions, sliced finely

8 garlic cloves, sliced

50g butter

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

100ml white wine

1L chicken stock

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 slices Comté cheese

4 large toasted bread croutons

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot on medium heat, sweat the onions and garlic in butter for 20 minutes until caramelised.

2. Deglaze the pot with white wine and then add the thyme and bay Leaf.

3. Pour chicken stock over and simmer for a further 90 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper and then pour the soup into four bowls.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Strapatsada

"It's my favourite breakfast dish, especially after a crazy night. It originates from the Peloponnesian and should only take 20 minutes."

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs, beaten

1kg riped tomatoes, grated

4-5 tbsps olive oil

a pinch of sugar

100-150g feta cheese, crumbled

salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Into a large saucepan, add the olive oil and place on high heat.

2. When the olive oil heats up, add the grated tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, season with salt (be careful not to add too much if using feta) and pepper and stir.

3. Add feta cheese, be careful with the salt.

4. As soon as the tomato sauce comes to the boil, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated.

5. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir with a wooden spoon, so that the ingredients combine. Cook until the eggs are cooked. Feel free to add any kind of herbs you wish, like oregano, basil, mint or fresh dill.

6. Top with a little bit of feta cheese and serve, while still warm, with some crusted bread aside.